IOC President Thomas Bach sees 'new world order' ahead of L.A. Olympics

Thomas Bach says he feels a rare calm in his final weeks as IOC president even as a "new world order" gains speed ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Bach led the International Olympic Committee through two locked-down Games in a global pandemic and several affected by Russian doping and military aggression, among other crises.

His successor will be elected March 20 and inherit an IOC financially secure with future Olympic hosts that today look stable and reliable.

Still, the biggest event for the next IOC president — the L.A. Summer Games — could yet challenge Bach's faith in the Olympics' power to unite the world in peaceful competition and mutual acceptance.

"We have a new world order in the making, and this making … will not happen without rumbling," Bach said this week, without criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump.

Signature Bach policies have been gender parity and inclusive acceptance of all 206 national teams, plus refugee athletes. Political neutrality is an ideal Bach clings to even as Trump has warned of denying visas to athletes based on the government's gender interpretations.

"I am also convinced that President Trump and his administration will fully support the Olympic Games," Bach told The Associated Press in a rare interview at IOC headquarters.

"He likes sport, so there I don't see a risk."

The American people, Bach added, "appreciate and love that the Games are about sport but they are about more than sport. They will want to welcome the athletes from all over the world."

The IOC has defended female boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting — the Paris Olympic gold medalists. Both had been disqualified from the 2023 world championships run by the Russian-backed International Boxing Association,